The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-03-19
EDITORIAL Briets.
By REV. I. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Canton, N. Y.

WE meier shall see his like again. Truly,
there was but one Beecher. He belong.
ed to the extraordinary men, and among
them he was unique. The secret of his
peculiar power, cannot be detected by
analysis. A roomy nature he had, sus-
ceptible, elastic, sympathetic, magnetic.
He touched nature all round and human
life all through. Humor, pathos, person.
alton, eloquence, invention, were as native
to him as her song to lark. He had high
moral qualities courage, philanthropy
magnanimity. He possessed spiritual
vision: he could see heaven opened and
the angels of God ascending and descend
ing. He was born liberal; it was no
freak of dotage that his last days found
him heretical in both politics and theolo-
gy. But it is in vain to search for the
essence of such soul by minute dissec.
ton. The impalpable, @rial thing we
call genius remains as much of mystic
ry after analysis has done its utmost as
before. No one has ever explained what
it is that gives their supremacy to the
Apollo Belvidere and the Arch of Titus.
Beecher was human masterpiece.
AN instance of the rabies which just
now afflicts a portion of the Congrega-
tional body was the defeat of the propo-
sal in the Chicago Minister'S Meeting to
send a message of coincidence to Mrs.
Beecher, when her husband lay dying,
lest it should be construed into an en-
dorsement of his views on future punish
ment. The intellect that conceived that
possibility was appropriately matched
with heart that had no sympathy to
spare. Yet the ministers who made
such a spectacle of themselves before
men and angels are educated and hui
name as we'll as pious. It is not the nat
ural man that does this absurd and heart
less thing; still less the renewed Chris
tan man. Only the orthodox man is capa-
BILE of it.
1t is probable some Of these brethren
are still smarting under Mr.. Beecher's
lash, laid only two weeks before on the
back of their idol-eternal punishment.
Mr.. Beecher never denounced the men
who hold this dogma, but he had appear
ed to take special satisfaction latterly in
venting his wrath on that unepeakable
caricature of Christianity. He seemed
to be out of patience with himself for
ever having believed or preached it, and
as often as it confronted him in his pub
lie utterances he let fly his thunder
bolts. But he could distinguish between
doctrine and it's advocates This is
what his Chicago brethren were not equal
to.
The Rev. Francis FL. johnson seems
to have taken up in the AndoUer ReUiew
the task of adjusting the great doctrines
Of Christian theology to the modern sci
entific hypothesis Of evolution. Mr.. John
son writes with intelligence and force,
and in a philosophical spirit. But we
suggest to him that he reaches conclu-
sions by roundabout and not always
evident process, which have been gained
at less cost and with surer logic. The
theory of salvation, for instance, so labori-
ously upheaved in the March number,
was long since derived directly from the
New Testament, by Frederic Robertson,
by Dr.. Charming and by Hosea Ballou,
I'd In their determination to get the
principles Of rational Christianity from
brand new source, some of our pro-
gressive friends subject themselves to a
deal OF unnecessary labor.
The Rev. J. Fl. Bixby was installed
over the Unitarian church in Yonkers,
last Monday evening. Robert Collyer
gave the charge to the candidate. There
was not much theology in it. nor was it
marked for its spiritual tone and import.
"Get eight hours OF Sleep" said Mr.. Coll
yer to Mr.. Bixby, seat three square meals
day, and get out into the sunshine as
much as possible" This is excellent adj
vice, as to the care of the physical man;
and all the more pertinent since so many
ministers are weak in their work because
weak in body. But sleep and food and
exercise should be matched by knowledge
and grace and vision.
In his annual report, President Gil
man, of the Johns Hopkins University,
discusses the bearing of some studies, as
of biology, on the beliefs of mankind,
and finds reasons for holding that mans
consciousness of his own personality,
with its freedom and responsibility, his
belief in Father Almighty, his hopes of
life to come, his recognition of moral
law and of the authority of an inward
monitor, will stand firm, whatever discov-
cries may be made of the evolution Of
life, the relation of soul and body, the ma
ture Of atoms and of force, and the con-
captions OF space and time"
President Gilman also lays down the
postulate that science shows us that all
knowledge proceeds from faith" His
meaning is, We suppose, that in every
line OF research the investigator must
assume certain things as true, not be-
cause he knows them to be true, but be-
cause he believes them to be true. This
is the fact. Take away from any student,
in any department, his assumptions, made
on the ground of faith, and further prog
ress is impossib The scientist has his